THE girlfriend of County Durham's only known victim of the terrorist attack on New York has told how she watched in horror as the twin towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed -knowing her boyfriend was inside.

New York lawyer Bridget Fitzpatrick frantically tried to phone boyfriend Gavin McMahon to warn him of the danger after emerging from her subway station to the sight of the first hijacked plane crashing.

She arrived at the scene to see the second plane hitting the other tower - the building in which the former Durham schoolboy worked as an insurance executive on the 99th floor.

Gavin, 35, from Chester-le-Street, had always wanted to work in the World Trade Centre, and was an employee with financial firm AON Corporation.

His father Terry, 68, had been over in America to help decorate the New Jersey apartment which Gavin shared with Bridget, and had tried to persuade his son to take the day off.

But Gavin insisted on going to work and they parted in the centre of Manhattan. When the terrorists struck, his father was on the bus to Cape Cod, oblivious to what was happening.

Now Mr McMahon senior and Gavin's mother Linda, 69, who live on Chester-le-Street's Garden Farm estate, will fly out to New Jersey this weekend for the funeral of their only son

Miss Fitzpatrick, who works as an attorney near the twin towers, described the moment of terror as the first plane hit as she emerged from her subway station on the way to work.

"I saw the flames leaping from the building and immediately tried to phone Gavin on my mobile but I couldn't get a signal. The best thing I could to was to get on a train, go to the next station and try to use a payphone.

"As I was heading for the phone I heard another boom as the second plane hit. It was a sickening feeling.

"When I saw the twin towers collapse I knew that in all probability I would never see him again."

Gavin's remains were discovered by rescue teams at Ground Zero nearly two l Continued on Page